


The Death Eater Remy and His End

by danechka



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Harry is okay though obviously, Lily Evans getting the attention she deserves, Manipulative Dumbledore, Marauders Friendship, Marauders and 'new' marauders parallels, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Other, Remus Lupin POV, everyone is sad and dies, original characters also getting screwed over by Dumbledore, small problem of Sirius/Lily love child but otherwise canon relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-23 09:44:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11400039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danechka/pseuds/danechka
Summary: AU- Remus Lupin narrates from his seventh year until the Battle of Hogwarts. While telling the story of the unfortunate life of Lily and Sirius's illegitimate child, Remus gives us a glimpse of friendships across three different generations at Hogwarts that were ultimately destroyed by Dumbledore's manipulation of young idealists: the obliterated marauders, the disillusioned 'new marauders', and the surviving golden trio. History is doomed to repeat itself if we cannot learn from the mistakes of our predecessors.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to use my AO3 account for HP, but I rarely read anything on ff anymore and I needed a way to share this roughly-ten-year project that has been collecting dust in 3 different notebooks in my parents' house... I'm not exactly sure how to categorise this story: it's certainly dramatic and deals heavily with friendship, but there is tragedy, adventure, romance, and bit of humour. Although the plot of the story is propelled by the daughter of Lily and Sirius, the more that I outlined the story, the more I found myself exploring some of the characters I find most interesting. Initially, I didn't like Lily and James, but this story made them real to me in a way the series did not. If you want to read about the Mauraders, Lily, and Snape during the First War, Tonks and Charlie at school, and the actions driven by the unrequited love of Severus Snape, and how Dumbledore is a manipulative jerk-off, I did my best to bring life to these characters in ways we haven't officially seen. Also- rating might change, sorry.

It all happened quite long ago, but I can feel every moment, every memory, at the forefront of my mind. These instances are at my fingertips; ready for me to dive in and indulge in the sweetest minutes of my life. And of course they weren't all spent with them, with her: I raised a child, after all. I had a wife and my own little son, even if it was not for such a long time. But these memories of my childhood, my adolescence, and the people who were with me as I grew up are the most important to me. When you are in my position, it is hard to find people who will take you as you are and stay by your side. The Marauders made my life mean something. Lily gave me hope.

But this story is not really about me: I am a dead man, and although my life had a great impact on a few good people, there were so many others who lived and died by my side who touched many more. There was a girl born one snowy winter to a woman with a heart that could have held all the broken lives surrounding her. There was a man who loved this woman who gave her life for her son, this woman who dedicated her life to making the world safe for her daughter, this woman who spent her life making the least feel great. Although his love was great, he never really understood her and her motivations. He and so many others simply loved an idea. I cannot be the one to tell his story, and I am not here to tell you about him.

So what is this story really about? It is about a time of peace bracketed by wars that destroyed nearly all the good that I ever knew. It is about the innocent who died for the good of the next generation at the hands of the old. I could start this story long before I was even born, but the easiest thing to do would be to follow the girl born from the ashes of her mother's soul. I want you to see what high hopes and ideals we were living for. I want you to see the pain of living in a time when no one was safe. I want you to see the eye of the storm and the return of evil. And I want you to see the aftermath, and understand how we suffered. How for thirty years, at the centre of it all were Lily Evans' green eyes.


	2. Late September, 1971

Part 1

Chapter 1

 

Autumn frost lined the window and created a frame for the pale image of foggy dawn outside. The fire had kept burning through the night, but the common room still seemed too cold for so early in the school year. It was Saturday, and there were only a few students in Gryffindor Tower who would wake up this early when they did not need to. This morning there was only me and the Head Girl, and I was lingering too long at the bottom of the stairs. I felt that she had heard me, that her focus on the pages in front of her were an act so she wouldn't have to take the time to converse. Although we had become close in the last two years, I knew I was not someone she would put her books down for. At any rate, how was she to know it was me?

I let out a low cough as my body shivered, and I made myself known earlier than I had wanted to. She barely lifted her head.

'Remus.'

It wasn't a question, but it also wasn't the simple acknowledgement of my presence in the room. It was a indication of her relief. She had breathed it out to reassure herself; it's only Remus.

'I'm not interrupting, am I?' It would be a lie if I said I wasn't shy of her beauty. Sometimes I became aware of her silky auburn hair and perfectly almond-shaped emerald eyes, and I wanted to turn my scarred cheeks away and avert my muddy green gaze, lest they catch her shining one.

She simply moved her feet slightly on the couch, and yet the gesture appeared to me as the warmest invitation that I had ever received. I approached but couldn't sit. It was too clear that she had been crying. At that moment I realised that as I watched her, she hadn't lifted a finger. She hadn't turned a single page. Her eyes had glossed over. I remembered that she had invited me to her and I sat.

For a while she didn't say a word, and continued to stare at the open book, but when I parted my lips slightly and readied my tongue to roll out 'Lily' she spoke over me: 'You don't know much about Severus, do you?

'I thought about him a lot this summer. About what happened, what he said, what I said... I realise that after I stopped speaking to him, I used you to fill the void he left in my heart. I...' she waited for me to look up from my hands and into her eyes. She liked to speak directly to me, I had noticed.

'Remus, I'm sorry. That isn't what I meant, really. I said it all wrong. You are my closest friend here. Now, I'm not saying that my friendship with Sev was so easily replaced, but I don't think that my attraction to you is trivial, or simply based on my need for a friend... It's too early in the morning and I'm not sure what I'm saying,' she tugged nervously at her left sleeve and I instinctively took hold of her hand.

I had never seen her so troubled. I touched her fingers carefully; to comfort her, but not be too familiar. Our friendship had grown radically from casual acquaintance to inseparable comradery in the span of about a month, right after she had told her former best friend to leave her be. Our separation during the summer was difficult, even though at first we wrote to each other every day. But in sixth year we reached a comparable level of trust in one another, though our need, as she called it (quite correctly) had diminished. But since beginning our last year of school, she had seemed odd. I, too, was having troubling thoughts, but I had been careful to cast them aside as best I could.

'I think it is a bit early. Listen, I don't think that's all I am to you. Obviously we both were a bit needy at that time; we were sixteen, I was feeling a strain on my friendships and you had just lost yours. Just because we were lonely at the same time doesn't mean our friendship is nothing,' I said, letting go of her hand. I felt I had held it too long.

She didn't say anything for a while. When she visibly composed herself, she began to read. Her knee applied gentle pressure on my leg, and I knew that her touch signified gratitude that I had listened for just a moment and reassured her without a thought. I didn't know what was bothering her exactly, but I understood that she just needed to know that there was someone by her side, and she wasn't friendless at the start of her seventh year at Hogwarts.  
  
At around 9 o'clock a few first and second years stirred and clambered down the stairs towards breakfast. The frost was gone and replaced with a light dew, and the fog had dispersed. The fire was crackling steadily as Lily decided it was no longer the time to catch up on her Charms reading and placed the large blue book down on the low table in front of her. She glanced at me a muttered something about being hungry.

We ate breakfast in near silence, not only because neither of us were feeling talkative but also because there were only about a dozen other students seated in the hall and it seemed wrong to disturb the peace that so rarely graced the Great Hall.

'Do you want to take a walk before you go back to your homework?' I asked. I wanted to hear what she had to say about Snape without prying. She never pushed me about my problems at home, or concerning my condition, so I tried to offer her the same courtesy.

She considered for a moment. 'Actually, that would be just the thing to clear my head. And the weather looks so lovely, I don't think I'll even need a jumper.'

We stood up and made our way past the students who were now filling the Hall. The sun provided a comforting warmth to our faces, but the late September air was already finding its way through our robes and shirts so we walked closely together. We hadn't walked far from the front doors when Lily stopped suddenly.

'You're being so patient with me about this,' she began. 'You know I want to talk to you.'

I nodded. 'I know you must want to talk through it. You were so vague about it last year, but I suppose it was all still very fresh.'

'It still seems that way.'

She tensed up. 'It isn't fair that I had to lose my only friend. My first friend. Everyone here has someone except me. How could he think that I'm less than him and his little clique just because my parents weren't wizards? He's the one who taught me what I was in the first place!

'Remus, I can't be crazy. Something happened, something went wrong... I thought he was so close to me. I thought I was important to him.'

I squeezed her arm, but didn't say anything. How could I comfort her? People change. My friends at home stayed away after the attack that left me a werewolf. Word eventually got around, and mothers didn't want their children playing with a monster. My own parents were wary of me (not to mention ashamed) for years until they came to accept what I was. Lily did not seem to mind my silent support and we stood in a covered stone courtyard for a few minutes.

The loud hoot of an owl in the rafters nearby roused us from our chilly contemplation. I shivered and looked over at my friend. She smiled weakly and whispered, 'I guess in the end, your bully friends are better people than my pureblood ones. I should give James another chance, shouldn't I?'

That question caught me off guard and the words I'd been ready to lend her were erased from my head. James? Really? At first I had been certain that his feelings for her were real, but over time people come to expect things and you live up to them. I thought his feelings now were an act; everyone knew James loved Lily, so James made a point of showing off in front of her, proving to the students that he was exactly what they thought he was.

'You... you've got a soft spot for him, haven't you? I know you don't hate him-'

Lily snorted. 'Of course I don't hate him. He used to torment my best friend, not to mention every Slytherin, a handful of Hufflepuffs, far too many first years, a few professors...'

'To be fair,' I argued playfully, 'no one likes Binns. He's going to bore us to death the same he did himself.'

Lily actually smiled now. 'Fine. You know what I'm talking about, though. Despite all that I don't hate him, and I like the roguish attitude sometimes. He's handsome...'

She must have seen that I was amused and she immediately became flustered. 'Remus, don't.. don't say anything to him please. It's actually not what you think.'

I sighed and stretched, still grinning. She smiled, too.

'Maybe we can talk about this more after I finish this assignment for charms. There are other things on my mind that I need to figure out how to say to you.'

We never got around to talking more about it that week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the AU element- it is '71 instead of '77. I never named the chapters so I will just name them after when they take place, I think.
> 
> I will try to update every Saturday night (summer is iffy but during the school year I will).


	3. October, 1971

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I just want to post the last edited chapter I have. Update on Saturday.

Part 1

Chapter 2

 

It was unnaturally warm for mid-October, and the change in temperature had muddled our heads and left us in a state of lethargy that threatened the outcomes of our exams the next week. I had been laying on the red and gold blanket that Mrs. Potter had knitted for me one Christmas for so long that I had completely sunk into my bed. The sun had only just set, but there was no hope of me rolling over and getting up to study now.

My eyes were closing when Sirius kicked open the door, jerking me out of my premature dozing. Somewhere across the room Peter made a startled sound and dropped his wand. I looked over at the door to acknowledge Sirius, and glanced at Peter in time to see him settle back into his seat near the window, lift his wand, and send little sparks out towards a spider. It scurried across the window, was met with more sparks, and changed its direction. More sparks flew towards it and it turned again. Peter must have been at this game as long as I had been in bed.

'Where's James?' Sirius rapped his knuckles on my trunk. 'Hello, kids? What's the matter with you two?'

I grunted and tried to shrug. Sirius knocked harder until I kicked my foot towards him half-heartedly. 

'Stop it... look, I'm up now, alright?' I rubbed my eyes but didn't actually sit up. 'I think he mentioned he needed to take a trip to Hogsmeade, but I can't remember for certain. I've been in a sort of dream state for two hours.'

He rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed across from me. He looked down when he noticed he was on Peter's sweater, and as he looked around and hopped a bit to move it from under him a few of his dark brown curls fell into his eyes. 'Last time he went to Hogsmeade he didn't even take the cloak. He's getting rather cocky about the secret passages. I don't want him jumping out of one one day and into a professor's face.'

Peter snorted, 'You're underestimating our Prongs. He's smart enough to check the map before 'jumping out' of anywhere. Why are you so worried?'

Sirius stood, scowling at him, and walked briskly to his bed. 'Because,' he started angrily, grabbing his messenger bag off the floor and rummaging through it, 'how exactly is he going to take precautions like that when he hasn't got this.' He held up our map and waved it around over his head.

Peter stared and him blankly. I squinted at him from the bed, not even turning my head to look at him properly. The dim light of our dormitory made it difficult to focus, especially as the torch light was flickering erratically from some unnoticeable draft. Sirius sighed and let his arm fall heavily to his side. Without another word to us he grabbed the messenger bag, took something silvery yet translucent from James's and walked out. From the bed I could hear his heavy, disappointed steps muffled by the stone stairs until the great wooden door to our room swung shut behind him. After a moment I heard Peter nestle into a more comfortable position and I myself closed my eyes in comfort. Sirius clutched the messenger bag tightly with his right hand and the map just as tightly in his left. At this moment he needed only to make it to the passageway before James, but which would he use? Sirius narrowed it down to James's favourites: one in a statue on the third floor, and one behind a mirror on the fourth. He moved quickly to the end of the corridor and rounded the corner, speeding up when he saw the stairs begin to change. As he half-leapt at the stairs in front of him, he knocked into Lily Evans's shoulder rather hard. He glance back to his left, meeting her cool green eyes for a moment. But they weren't cool as they usually were, passing judgement on him as they did on James.

They were wide and almost inquiring. He wanted to talk to her.

She turned away and, but for a brief hesitation akin to his, continued her pace presumably to the Gryffindor Common Room. He looked ahead, took a breath, and continued down the stairs, shaking his hair from his grey eyes. For a moment his body had nearly forced him to turn around and leap, rather dangerously, off the staircase. It was a subconscious pull, but he was very much aware of it. Why, though, did he need to talk to Lily tonight? There were other pretty girls in the Gryffindor Tower, and he would certainly talk to some of them later that very night...

He skipped on one foot and rounded a railing onto the last staircase to the third floor. He glanced over the map for less than a second and knew James was still no where to be found. It was funny, after so many years of looking for that name he could always catch it at first glance. He stopped near the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Two younger Hufflepuffs, huddled together and pouring over a thick book, were the only other people in the hall. They argued quietly and did not pay Sirius any mind, but he stepped back into the shadows carefully to keep them from noticing him at all.

When Sirius looked back down at the map, he swore without regard for his original plan of staying quiet.

'Fourth floor... why the fourth floor?' he muttered, taking off at a run back the way he came. Once again he jumped onto the stairs in front of him, but as he started running up them and lifted his head, he saw someone step onto the same staircase from the top. It began to move, but the two young men had to pass each other in tight quarters. And Severus Snape wasn't someone Sirius enjoyed sharing the stairs with.

'Black.'

'Snivillus.'

Snape's dark, almost black, eyes shone in the torchlight. Flames were reflected in them in a somewhat hostile way that deeply bothered Sirius. His own were simply clear, sharp, and angry.

Snape understood the message and took a step closer. 'You know, Black, when I look down at you I can see what you really are. This must be how your parents see you when you return home for the holidays: small, pathetic, weak, and lonely. And without your friends flanking you, it's more than obvious what a disappointment you are.'

'Disappointment?' Sirius began, pushing back his shoulders. 'I don't think my scores are much worse than my brother's. And I admit James makes a better Seeker than I do, but he's better than Regulus too so my guess is that he and I are well matched,' Snape began to make a sound but Sirius cut him off before he had formed anything beyond his sneer.

'Oh, sorry, is this about my loyalties, Snape?' He barked out a laugh. 'Is this because I haven't licked any Pureblood boots today? And to think, we always thought you had a thing for Lily! But what's she again?'

Snape's face somehow became paler. 'No, I-'

'A Mudblood, that's right. I wonder if my parents would adopt you, they'd be so proud to have a disgusting bigot like you living under their roof... You could discuss all sorts of fanatical rubbish with them, but I think even they would be shocked to find you're a Death Eater-'

'What are you-' Snape shrieked and lunged at Sirius, but he ducked around him and started to sprint, jumping two stairs at a time, but during their exchange of insults the stairs had already began to move away from the floor Sirius needed to get to, and using the other side of the corridor were add too much time to Sirius's path to the large mirror James would soon be using to enter the school.

Snape was by no means slow on his feet, and quickly regained his composure and ran right after Sirius. Sirius barely made the leap onto the platform, but his relief vanished when he felt something behind him.

'Black-'

Without a thought, Sirius spun around and in one motion reached around as far as he could grabbed the back of Snape's robes. The black haired boy's arms flailed only until one clutched the banister and the other managed to grasp Sirius's outstretched arm. He yanked Snape towards him and they let go of each other immediately.

Snape's look of fear evaporated from his deep, dark eyes and he resumed the special form of scowling reserved for the Marauders. 'If you were Potter, you would have let me fall,' he said. It was an acknowledgement without passing any judgment or making any assumptions. 'Though I suppose you would have had your reasons.'  
Sirius walked away and Snape made no attempt to follow him.

As soon as he was away from the moving stairs he took off at a run. His footsteps echoed off the dark walls, and the absence of any other sound relieved him. When the mirror ahead of him opened up, he abruptly stopped and bent over, breathing hard.

'What were you running for, Padfoot?' James almost laughed when his best friend looked up at him. He realised it rather suddenly. 'Come on, what trouble could I get in now? It's our last year!'

Sirius, still panting, looked down at the stone floor. James frowned and put a large hand on his friend's shoulder. 'Mate, I'm sorry. I should have taken the cloak, I know. Stand up, that's it...'

'You could... at least...' Sirius started between breaths, 'think a bit about... I dunno, maybe what your friends... what your friends think when you run off without anything. I know you needed to take a trip but we've been kings of this school for years, Prongs. Let's not give that up because we aren't careful.'

James kept silent as they walked back to the stairs and up to the Gryffindor Tower, luckily without running into anyone. It was almost half past nine and most students, in preparation for the heavy load of tests and essays that came right before Halloween, had their books and parchments out in the Common Rooms or in their beds. Even the professors had retired for the night, just before the curfew.

The heavy wooden door to our dormitory swung open and I snapped out of the daze my transfiguration assignment had put me in. As James entered Peter waved at him in greeting and proposed a game of cards.

'That one's idiotic without at least four people,' Sirius chimed in. 'Moony, get up already. It isn't even your time of month.'

I knew he meant it as a joke but I frowned a bit. He noticed and muttered a quick apology as I stumbled out of bed and to his side. James smirked.

'Come on Moony, I've got a bit of chocolate for you. Eat it up, everything's alright.'

I glared at him. 'I'm not sure if that was a kind offer or a menstruation joke.'

'It was a menstruation joke,' James said.

Peter, who had already settled on the floor and started to deal looked up with bright eyes. 'I could go and get some, you know, probably I could find it, if you really do want some choco-'

'Shut up, Wormtail.' James cut him off. 'Alright; now let's play.'


	4. Halloween 1971

Part 1

Chapter 3

 

Hogwarts was buzzing as Halloween night approached and students began to lose focus in their schoolwork. As if by some unwritten rule, the professors knew that it was expected that classes would be dismissed earlier in the afternoon on this holiday, to give the students ample time to prepare costumes and treats and finalize plans for mischief. There was still time before dinner for students to meet, and at five Sirius opened the door to the empty 4th floor study hall to discuss our evening.

He was smirking. He leapt over the desk in front of me and landed gracefully and precisely in the seat next to me.

'Very proud of yourself, Padfoot?'

'Exceedingly. Sometimes I think I should practice turning into a cat. They do exemplify my cunning and grace better than a fluffy dog.'

I shrugged. 'And your vanity, it seems...' He smacked the back of my head with his palm and laughed. 'I think McGonagall wouldn't be able to live with herself if I became her kitty apprentice... of all the people in Gryffindor.'

We grinned at each other; he was right about McGonagall, but at the same time he didn't even need a mentor like her. Since birth, the regal-looking young man with long dark hair, grey eyes, and sharp features had his whole life in place, and beyond his looks and demeanor he had a natural talent for magic that surpassed even James's capabilities. And there was the matter of, as he often said mockingly, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Not that I thought he would take charge of the Black household with as much enthusiasm as he younger brother Regulus might, but the Blacks were such an old, established family that he wouldn't need to do anything but passively judge the world going by and never really meddle in it, even when it came to the war which was already infiltrating every day life. My family and the Potters had declared strongly against the war against mixed bloods and muggles, though not without recourse. The werewolf who turned me was an apprentice of He Who Must Not Be Named, and it was foolish of my father to insult cruel men when there was a powerful Dark wizard standing just behind them. I knew that even without actively supporting any of his actions and words, the Black family had made their allegiance clear. Sirius was just as clear about his.

He leaned back before turning to me, the usual glint in his eyes that made me nervous but also indicated that at the very least I had an exciting evening in store. 'So where do we begin, Remus? Pranks, drinks, or girls?'

I laughed at him and he frowned, slightly insulted. 'Girls, Padfoot? What girls are you talking about? There's only what- four girls you haven't hounded for a date or a kiss in this whole damn school?'

'Well,' he began to turn pink beneath those handsome cheekbones, 'I meant maybe in Hogsmeade-'

I cut him off. 'So once you've left school, you'll just continue your girl chasing down in the village?' I was in a good mood because of the holiday and only meant to tease him.

'Maybe,' he shrugged, smiling slightly. 'It's not like I'm going to be returning to London, so I might as well spend some time working my way through Hogsmeade.'  
I was about to protest his disgusting tactics when I sensed the sting in his words. 'Sirius...'

'I can avoid London if I have to.'

I scoffed. 'None of us can avoid London. There are houses besides yours. You don't have to live with your family.' His grey eyes almost stared a hole into mine. 'Almost sounds like you're projecting, Moony.'

'Well...' It was no secret that I did not want to return home. Even though things were different now, it had been difficult for me to call my parents' place home for some time. At least I was able to forgive them, in my own way. The darkness of my childhood had left scars in places that could not be seen.  
Sirius waved a hand dismissively. 'I'd love to shack up with you in a cosy matrimonial home, if that's what you're after. Don't be shy, I know you've got a thing for tall, dark and handsome men.'

Even to this day I cannot admit that my blush at that comment was genuine, but without saying anything more about it Sirius continued, 'In all seriousness, we could room together. I don't need a family when I have brothers.' I knew he didn't mean Regulus and I smiled. I felt exactly the same. But my smile faltered. 'I'm not sure it is really feasible though; I'm not sure I'll be able to move out on my own. I don't know if I'll be able to support myself, you know.'

He simply waved his hand in the same dismissive way. 'Even if my parents completely cut me off I've got some money stashed away. Look, we can probably stay with the Potters for a bit-'

'You're assuming you can take advantage of their hospitality-'

'Just until we can get on our feet,' he insisted. 'They know what's going on. You forget that I didn't go back to Grimmauld this summer.'

I hated relying on the kindness of others, even at that age, but a part of me knew I needed to get over my guilt and accept help when I needed it. If anyone needed it, it was us. But Sirius, the Potter's second son, accepting help from his best friend's parents was very different from a werewolf moving in for a few months. Too many things could go wrong, and Sirius was not being practical by ignoring the differences between us.

Although I had looked away I could feel his eyes studying my face, or perhaps seeing into my mind.

'It wouldn't be for too long,' he started in a tone which sounded strange coming from him. 'Just until we can get on our feet,' he repeated, but without the dismissive air. I just nodded. He understood, and a part of me knew that by ignoring my condition was his way of being supportive. Sirius had always been understanding: it was not lost on me that he had taken it upon himself to learn how to transform himself into something that was so close to a wolf. For a moment I believed his words, and knew that I would always have a home with him.

'Well, this is all more that half a year away, Moony,' he said, his voice indicating that he had moved on to more pressing concerns. 'And I'm more worried about tonight.'

'Worried?' I raised an eyebrow and he grabbed my arm, flashing a grin. 

'Extremely. How can we be at the dance in the dungeon and attend the costume party at the Three Broomsticks at the same time?'

I groaned. 'No, please, we can't go to both.'

'Sure we can! It will be simple: we start at the Three Broomsticks early, make some friends, find some dates, and sneak them back in. We could probably even go through the front door!'

'"Find some dates"? Who? Who are we going to find?'

He squeezed my arm harder, almost uncomfortably, and looked very serious.

'Older women, Moony.'

I pulled my arm away. 'Sure, have fun explaining this one to James.'

'James and I share a brain. He's not the one I have to convince.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Let's go find him and get ready-' Sirius jumped up, knowing I had conceded '-to do whatever, okay, fine-' he was dancing towards the door, finger guns a-blazing- 'I said "fine"!'  
  
A flash of rich red hair at the end of the corridor alerted us to Lily's presence. She turned to look at us when she heard our footsteps and I saw recognition, and perhaps something else on her face.

Sirius skipped a step. 'Hold the portrait, Evans!'

She scowled but waited.

'Sirius, Remus,' she smiled and turned to me as we approached, but went into the common room without another word. Sirius blocked my way for a moment, watching her walk away. He turned to me after what seemed like a very long time, running a hand through his hair, giving himself his signature disheveled look which made him all the more handsome. The families of Hogsmeade would need to lock up their daughters.

'You think she...' he just stared at me with an inquisitive look without finishing the question. 

'No,' I began but he cut me off with a vigorous shake of his head. 

'Not that, I just mean...'

He looked at me again but did not continue.

'Are you two just going to stand there?' The Fat Lady asked bluntly, and we went inside.


End file.
